How have you handled that? When it comes to the local governments in your district, what they want and what you’re able to do up here? MW: I’ve always put a high priority on meeting with my local governments before session… So, it’s always meeting to see what policy changes they need, if there are any special appropriations that they’re needing and anything that’s budgetary, likely to be the governor or legislature’s budget. And then working with our delegation to see that we’re in concert with or in agreement with the local priorities. There have been times when we’ve had some local requests that we weren’t always in agreement with. And then just prioritizing, looking to see what has the most impact for the residents of the county or the city or town. What do you think is helpful from local governments in that regard? What are some good practices for local governments that might help with legislative requests? MW: Obviously now just representing Durham—I live in Durham; I’ve never lived in Oxford or Roxboro or Yanceyville, those towns and other towns that I’ve represented. So, I’d always rely on those folks to tell me what it was they needed and make sure I understand what the needs are. There’s (former) Mayor (Terry) Turner from Butner; a few years back, they had need of acquiring some of the property that the state had. So just making sure I understood what Butner wanted to do with it and all that and securing that for them. So, the key I think is for the towns, cities, these elected officials, to stay in touch with their legislative delegation, meeting with them before session, but meeting with them other times too. If your legislator doesn’t live in your town or county, you know, if you’re a county or two away, as sometimes we often are, or in some of these less populated districts, you could be five or six counties away from a town that has a need. So just making sure you stay in touch with them throughout and understanding what the priorities are for that town or city and just keeping the dialogue going is just so important. DURHAM’S SEN. MIKE WOODARD ADDS NCLM’S ANNUAL COMMUNITY CHAMPION AWARD TO HIS ALREADY BUSY SHELVES. The Legislative Office Building that houses the workspaces of so many North Carolina legislators in downtown Raleigh sometimes gives that blank-canvas feeling—the governmental beige or off-white walls that are ready to pop with a bit of personal decoration: framed memories, pieces of art, shelves for influential books, gifts and honors, flags, various mementos. If any group or agency handed out awards for excellence in this way, Sen. Mike Woodard could add it to his vibrant, loaded shelves of literature, art and sculptures near the colorful, framed showbill for rock musician Alejandro Escovedo, amid gallery walls of other artworks and personal interests. These items became operative parts of a recent interview Southern City did with Sen. Woodard in his office. Gesturing to or picking up pieces from his shelves and walls, he would explain their connection to his work—connection the emphasized word as the senator has long expressed his appreciation for the power of meeting with and listening to peers and constituents for informed ideas and good outcomes. A photo of him with a beloved neighborhood leader, or a framed quote from history, or an item he was honored to receive in reflection of his work, were all in the mix of conversation. While shelf space was truly limited, Sen. Woodard did have one more item to add as of late April, when the League invited him to its 2024 CityVision conference, held in Winston-Salem, to present him with this year’s NCLM Community Champion Award. “This award recognizes those that work tirelessly to understand, represent and advocate for the needs of cities and towns,” said NCLM immediate past president William Harris, town commissioner from Fuquay-Varina, from the conference podium. “Senator Woodard more than meets those criteria.” Southern City caught up with him in his busy Raleigh office just after the April conference, right as the 2024 short session of the General Assembly was getting underway. Elected in 2013, Sen. Woodard will depart the office at the end of this term for what he knows will entail community involvement and the making of locallevel connections, a topic we wanted to hear more about from the senator. ˘˘˘ So, as we speak now, the 2024 legislative session is cranking up. Tell us how things are going. MW: Well, it’s the beginning of session so lots of bills are coming, and of course with the short session it’s always a lot of local bills, trying to manage those. In fact [Sen. Woodard picks up a document on his desk] right here are my notes from my meeting with Durham City Council yesterday, so we’re working through bills and obviously look at the revenue picture to see where funding priorities can go, right? And there are lots of folks who are showing up to get into our legislation or appropriations, one way or the other. Driven By Connection BEN BROWN NCLM Communications and Multimedia Strategist SOUTHERN CITY Quarter 2 2024 18
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